The wildfire that has scorched about 10 square miles of remote terrain in the far southern reaches of the San Diego County area near the Mexico border is nearly contained, and evacuation orders have been lifted Thursday for Otay Mountain-area neighborhoods.
As of Thursday, firefighters had the footprint of the 6,625-acre blaze, dubbed the Border 2 Fire, nearly 96% surrounded, according to Cal Fire.
The San Diego County Sheriff's Department, citing improvement in containment, lifted mandatory evacuation orders Thursday for the Otay Mountain communities affected the by the fire.
"Minimal smoldering and fire behavior were observed overnight, and high humidity is keeping fire potential low," the agency stated. "No fire spread is anticipated. Ground crews will continue to work in steep terrain as they focus on mopping up and patrolling existing fire lines."
Still prohibited from returning to their homes due to the conflagration — which has caused no reported structural damage or injuries — were residents of areas east and south of Otay Lakes Road; south and west of Campo Road; along Otay Mountain Truck Trail; and north of the southern edges of the burn zone a few miles from the U.S.-Mexico border.
Due to the ongoing firefighting operations, Otay Lakes Road remained closed to through traffic between state Route 94 and Wueste Road on Tuesday.
The cause of the blaze — which erupted early Thursday afternoon amid dry and gusty Santa Ana conditions just west of Doghouse Junction in Otay Mountain Wilderness Area — remains under investigation.
